Religious News

SGPC to redesign Kitchen at Guru Ramdas Langar as per advice of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)

August 25, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Amritsar, Punjab (August 25, 2013): As per certain media reports teh Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has suggested redesigning of the kitchen at Guru Ram Das Langar at Darbar Sahib, Amirtsar so as to aviod the pollution. As per inforamtion the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has already started working in this direction as per advice of the institute.

“Wood and coal is burnt in the kitchen, which contribute to 46 per cent of the total sulphur dioxide and 12 per cent of the total nitrogen dioxide concentration found in the air around the shrine. Even the industry’s contribution of 41 per cent to sulphur dioxide concentration is lesser than that of the shrine” reads a news reported by The Tribune.

As per information the study found that while sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide concentrations were still within the ‘national ambient air quality standards’, but the particulate matter concentration — caused by re-suspension of road dust (47 per cent) and industry (31 per cent) — exceeded the norms.

Major pollutants:

• Wood and coal burnt in the kitchen are major contributors to pollution around the shrine.
• The contribution to sulphur dioxide concentration is even more than that of the industry.
• Other pollutants are industrial stacks, vehicles, restaurants and diesel-operated generators.
• The SGPC is also planning a vertical garden and a layer of plants in big pots around the shrine.
• Besides, steps are being initiated to lessen the flow of traffic around the Darbar Sahib.

Among the other pollutants are industrial stacks, vehicles, coal and wood-based restaurants and diesel-operated generators. The IIT was roped in for the study by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

SGPC secretary Tarlochan Singh reportedly said, “We have already started construction of the new kitchen block as per the PPCB suggestions.” He said every effort would be made to curtail pollution. He said they were also planning a vertical garden and a layer of plants in big pots around the Darbar Sahib for checking the problem.

As per information a meeting of the PPCB, SGPC and the district administration officials was held at Amritsar on August 22, 2013 to finalise action plan to counter the problem.

After the meeting, various departments, including the Municipal Corporation, Agriculture, Power Corporation, Transport and Police, were instructed to complete the tasks assigned to them well in time, said Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal.

PPCB chairman Ravinder Singh said vehicular traffic around the Darbar Sahib Complex was a cause for concern, something that the police and the municipal corporation authorities needed to work on.

Earlier, a city resident, Gursevak Singh, had filed a complaint with the Prime Minister and shared his concerns about the problem of pollution at the shrine. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had also taken a suo moto notice of his letter and admitted it as a civil writ petition. It was during a hearing of the case that the IIT was hired for the study. The next date of hearing in the case is on September 10.

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Related Topics: Darbar Sahib, SGPC

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